Stanford tailback Christian McCaffrey”s dash through the record book will end in New York City.

The sophomore was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy on Monday after a season in which he broke Barry Sanders” 27-year-old NCAA record for all-purpose yards.

The other players invited to New York for the award ceremony (Saturday at 5 p.m.) are Alabama running back Derrick Henry and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson.

“I got a little emotional,” said McCaffrey, who learned the news while watching ESPN with teammates in the locker room. “It”s been a dream. To be put in that conversation is extremely humbling.”

McCaffrey is attempting to do what runners-up John Elway (1982), Toby Gerhart (2009) and Andrew Luck (2010-11) could not: become Stanford”s first Heisman winner since Jim Plunkett in 1970.

The lack of candidates from the western half of the country should work in McCaffrey”s favor — unlike Gerhart and Luck, he is expected to dominate the region.

Working against him: Stanford played seven games that started at 10 p.m. or later in the Eastern Time Zone, which encompasses four of the six voting blocs.

“Does he deserve to be considered? Yes, yes, he does,” USC coach Clay Helton said after McCaffrey blistered the Trojans for 461 all-purpose yards in the Pac-12 championship game.

McCaffrey”s season total of 3,496 yards (via rushing, receiving and returns) is 1,000 more than his closest competitor, San Jose State”s Tyler Ervin.

McCaffrey is also fifth in the nation in rushing (142.1 yards per game) and leads Stanford in receptions (41).

“We figured this would happen,” Stanford coach David Shaw said of McCaffrey being named a finalist. “He gained more yards than anybody who has ever played. That”s something you can”t dance around. It”s not just a really good year, it”s a historic year.”

All this comes after McCaffrey spent the 2014 season as a role player — a rookie trying to grasp pass protection schemes and contribute the handful of times he touched the ball each game.

In the dark horse nature of his Heisman campaign, McCaffrey is not alone. None of the finalists was a front-runner when the season began.

Henry, considered the favorite for the trophy, shared the Alabama workload last year. Like McCaffrey, he broke a hallowed record this fall: the SEC single-season rushing record held by Herschel Walker.

Watson missed half of last season with injuries but has emerged as the best player on the top-ranked and only undefeated team.

Henry and Watson were viewed as second-tier candidates throughout the offseason. But as favorites struggled (running backs Leonard Fournette of LSU and Ezekiel Elliott of Ohio State) or got hurt (quarterbacks Trevone Boykin of TCU and Seth Russell of Baylor), the dynamic changed.

McCaffrey, who has never been to New York City, noted that he probably would have to prepare an acceptance speech for Saturday night, just in case.